Latest news with #Jaws
Daily Record
5 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
MOVIE REVIEW: We discover how much bite sharked-themed horror 'Dangerous Animals' has
Lead duo give it their all in fierce face-off but flick could've done with more shark action. The latest shark movie to try and chew a piece out of undisputed genre king Jaws sees Jai Courtney star as serial killer Bruce Tucker. Free-spirited surfer Zephyr (Hassie Harrison) is his latest target and must figure out how to escape his boat before Tucker carries out a ritualistic feeding to the sharks below. The premise of a shark-obsessed murderer and the presence of Sean Byrne ( The Devil's Candy, The Loved Ones) in the director's chair made this a much-anticipated release. Dangerous Animals doesn't quite fulfil its promise, though, despite the best efforts of its leading duo. It's no accident the antagonist is called Bruce - the name of the mechanical shark used in the filming of Jaws - and Courtney shows off lots of bite. Whether singing Baby Shark or dancing in a kimono, the Australian plays Tucker like a more unhinged take on his Captain Boomerang in Suicide Squad, with a near-constant glint in his eye and uncomfortable knowledge about sharks' eating and hunting habits. Harrison's Zephyr has a nomadic lifestyle with brief nods to a troubled past and the Texan star of Yellowstone is headstrong, industrious and a worthy opponent for Tucker. I was less enamoured with Josh Heuston's Moses; yes, he and Zephyr are good looking, but would he really go to so much trouble to trace someone he'd only spent a few hours with? I guess it was just to give Tucker someone else to toy with as while the film is bookended by shark action, there isn't much to be found in between. There are a lot of nasty, painful wounds but not many are shark-inflicted; we could've done with one or two more victims to ratchet up the underwater dinner menu. It's a pity as the remains of a chewed-up girl is a chilling visual and the middle of the ocean setting means there really is nowhere for Zephyr to go. Dangerous Animals is one of the better post- Jaws shark movies; it just needed a few more sharks to go alongside Courtney's crazed killer and Harrison's hardy heroine. ● Is Jaws still the greatest shark flick of all time? Or do you have another favourite? Pop me an email at and I will pass on your comments – and any movie or TV show recommendations you have – to your fellow readers.
Daily Mirror
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Thursday Murder Club's Celia Imrie drops disappointing news on book adaptation
The Thursday Murder Club is coming to Netflix on August 28 and will also be released in select cinemas on August 22 The Thursday Murder Club is arriving on Netflix on August 28 and the film, which boasts a fresh trailer, is a much-awaited adaptation of Richard Osman's novel of the same name. Prior to the film's launch, actress Celia Imrie, who portrays retired nurse Joyce Meadowcroft, appeared on Saturday Kitchen to discuss various matters. A standout moment from the programme was a chat with presenter Matt Tebbut regarding the adaptation, with Matt emphasising the stellar cast, which features Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan and Ben Kingsley. Celia confessed not every aspect of the book's storyline had made it into the final film, expressing hope that fans would still appreciate it, remarking: "I only hope that all the readers who are so loyal to the book will be pleased with what we have done. "Because obviously we couldn't fit all of the plot in, but no - it was a complete thrill." She confessed she hadn't yet viewed the new trailer and enquired "Am I in it?" when the other guests remarked on how captivating it was. The star also revealed how she utilised her sisters for research into portraying a retired nurse like Joyce. "I have two marvellous sisters who are nurses so I had to find out where was the pulse point, and what their training was like," she revealed. "I'm very lucky, it's been wonderful. I sort of can't believe my luck but I'm delighted." The film was produced by Steven Spielberg and the actress confessed she felt anxious about encountering him. She confessed: "My worry is I'm very starstruck but what was I going to talk to him about? That was my absolute horror." She recalled a captivating tale from her past, when at the tender age of 22, she found herself on tour with double Oscar winner, Glenda Jackson. Glenda had been treated to a trip to Universal Studios and Celia managed to snag a photo inside the mouth of the notorious shark used in Spielberg's Jaws films. The veteran actress, now 73, features in the newly released trailer for Thursday Murder Club, which hit the internet earlier in August, introducing Joyce to the rest of the club as they delve into a cold case. However, the group find themselves in hot water when they become suspects in a fresh murder case. Thursday Murder Club will hit select cinemas on August 22, followed by a Netflix release on August 28.
Irish Independent
18 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Wexford movie podcast to mark 50th anniversary of Spielberg classic with special screening
Directed by Stephen Spielberg and based on the 1974 novel by Peter Benchley, the classic stars Roy Schneider as police chief Martin Brody, who with the help of a marine biologist, played by Richard Dreyfuss, and a professional shark hunter (Robert Shaw), hunts a man-eating great white shark that's been attacking beachgoers at a New England summer resort town. The film became a cult classic, provoking an irrational fear of the water in some, while others just found themselves constantly reeling off the tagline 'You're gonna need a bigger boat!' Celebraing 50 years of this iconic piece of cinema, Wexford's very own movie podcast Reel Reviews is hosting a special live podcast and anniversary screening of Jaws at Wexford Arts Centre on Saturday, August 16 at 7.30 p.m. The evening will kick off with a live recording of the podcast at 7.30 p.m. followed by a full screening of the first true summer blockbuster at 8 p.m. During the live podcast, the Reel Reviews panel will dive deep into the making of the movie, its cultural impact, and how it changed Hollywood forever. The audience is warmly invited to join the conversation and share their own memories of the first time they experienced Jaws – whether it was in a packed cinema, on VHS at home, or even nervously peeking from behind the couch. 'Jaws didn't just change the way movies were made – it changed the way we looked at the water,' says Reel Reviews host John Michael Murphy. 'We're honoured to mark its 50th anniversary with this special event, and we can't wait to share it with our fellow movie lovers here in Wexford.'
Geek Tyrant
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
Hot Wheels Unleashes JAWS 50th Anniversary Collectible Set — GeekTyrant
Hot Wheels is celebrating the 50th anniversary of Jaws with a killer collectible that fans of the classic thriller won't want to miss. Ditching the wheels in favor of a full-on display piece, this die-cast set recreates the legendary 'You're gonna need a bigger boat' moment with retro 1970s style. The mini diorama features a stylized ocean backdrop and brings a wave of nostalgia with its clever detailing. It's the perfect mix of toy and tribute, making it a must-have for Jaws collectors and die-hard movie geeks alike.
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘Alien is a warning, isn't it?': Essie Davis on Alien: Earth and Tasmania's ecological crisis
Essie Davis didn't watch much horror growing up in Tasmania; the 55-year-old actor can still bitterly recall the moment when, aged four, she was left at home while her older siblings went to see Jaws at the local cinema in Hobart. 'I stood by the back door going, 'I will remember this day for the rest of my life!'' Davis recalls, speaking from her current family home, also in Tasmania. She finally saw the film on VHS years later, while dating a production designer she had met while performing at Belvoir St theatre. That designer was Justin Kurzel, now one of Australia's most celebrated directors – and also her husband. Back in the mid-90s, Kurzel's courtship rituals included a crash course in horror classics – Jaws was high on the list, followed closely by Ridley Scott's 1979 space slasher Alien. 'I love that first Alien film so much, I wish I'd seen it in a cinema,' Davis says. 'They're definitely a huge part of my film psyche.' It would take another few decades before Davis entered the Alien universe herself, in a new prequel series set shortly before the original film. Alien: Earth focuses on Wendy (Sydney Chandler), a 'forever girl' whose consciousness is transferred from her terminally ill human body to a synthetic one, making her a world-first 'hybrid'. Davis plays Dame Sylvia, one of the scientists responsible for Wendy's second life. In one of many allusions to Peter Pan, Hawley named the character after Sylvia Llewelyn Davies, the real-life mother of the boys who inspired JM Barrie to write his Neverland saga. The show's themes – and Sylvia's attempts to balance Wendy's humanity with her new, artificial immortality – felt particularly timely to Davis. 'AI was a thing that was coming, but it wasn't suddenly upon us,' she says. 'And then we had the writers' strike and the actors' strike, and then ChatGPT suddenly was in the schools in Tasmania, and I was just going, 'hang on a minute'. 'There's a tightrope of ethics and morality, and everyone has a different version of it. I really hope that people will enjoy this and get hooked into that quandary of genetic engineering and ethics and that strange quest to own everything and beat everyone and be younger than anyone.' Davis is a horror icon herself, thanks to a breakout role in Jennifer Kent's 2014 film The Babadook. The low-budget Australian production became a global hit, with fans including The Exorcist director William Friedkin, who placed the film alongside Alien as one of the scariest films he had ever seen. It remains a modern cult classic 10 years later. 'I remember watching a screening way before it was released, and just went, 'Oh, this is great, but it's not scary',' she says. 'And then we went to the Sundance film festival, and I sat up the back as people swore and leapt out of their seats.' Davis credits the film's enduring appeal – its top-hatted spook has even been embraced as an unlikely Queer icon – to something deeper than jump scares. 'It's not just a horror film,' she says. 'It's in fact a kind of psychological thriller about mental health and grief and parenting and love.' It remains a defining role for Davis, alongside her star turn in Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries – the 1920s detective franchise that ran for three series and a film, based on the novels of Kerry Greenwood, who died in April. 'A terrible loss, but she's forever in us now,' says Davis. 'I was crying, working out whether I should do it or not,' she adds, of donning Phryne Fisher's signature black bob. 'I'm really glad I did, because that character was such a positive force, and it's just so fun to play someone so clever and positive and naughty and irreverent – and someone who really cares about social justice, and is not going to bow for anyone, and stands up for the underdog.' Along with roles in Game of Thrones, Baby Teeth and Netflix's One Day, Davis has also collaborated with her film-maker husband, responsible for films including Snowtown, Nitram, and television adaptations of Peter Carey's The True History of the Kelly Gang and most recently Richard Flanagan's The Narrow Road to the Deep North. Davis appeared in the latter three. Their kids were old enough to be watching Alien for a high school English class when the script for Alien: Earth hit Davis's inbox; the series is led by Noah Hawley, the showrunner behind the award-winning small-screen adaptation of Fargo. She was intrigued; the show's depiction of a future Earth carved up and controlled by mega-corporations – Dame Sylvia is employed by Prodigy, a rival to the franchise's longstanding faceless villains, the Weyland-Yutani Corporation – particularly resonated with her. 'It's terribly prescient – the richest of corporations and the richest people taking over the world, essentially running the world,' she says. For Davis, the perils of corporate profits have been plain to see from her home in Tasmania, where she and Kurzel returned to raise their family. 'It is terrifying what is happening to our beautiful place here in Tassie, and the total corporate capture of our government by big industry,' she says of the controversy around the state's fish farming industry, of which she has become one of many high-profile critics, alongside Richard Flanagan and former ABC journalist turned political candidate Peter George. These days, Davis doesn't have to go to the cinema to witness coastal dread. 'When you look out over the water from Bruny Island, everywhere you look you see rows and rows of fish pens, and huge, industrial factory ships,' she says. 'We had mass fish mortalities, rotting salmon washing up on our beaches. And 53 cormorants got shot because they were fishing out of the pens.' Davis says the public opposition to such practices 'began as lots of individuals around Tasmania making constructive criticism, and asking for a bit of negotiation on pollution'. It was being ignored by salmon companies and successive governments, she says, that connected and galvanised the far-flung island community. What began as a movement, Davis says, has now become an 'insurrection', evident in the rise of Peter George, who was elected to Tasmania's state parliament as an independent days after our interview. 'But we're not going to stop,' she says. 'We're just going to keep on until we have people representing the people of Tasmania and not just corporations and party politics. 'I guess Alien is a warning, isn't it?' she adds. 'A warning of what greed and money and this kind of pursuit of immortality can do to a planet.' Alien: Earth launches on Disney+ on 12 August in Australia and the US and on 13 August in the UK
